Kansas Jayhawks
Big 12 Conference (19-12, 8-10)
Carolyn Davis was the go-to-scorer for Kansas during much of the season. Before suffering a season ending injury, she averaged 16.9 points a game and shot nearly 60 percent from the floor. She also has dramatically improved her defense this season. But without her, Kansas has struggled and Davis’ absence is a big reason why this team lost six of their last eight games.
Big Wins: 1/4 at Texas (72-67), 1/11 Iowa State (74-67), 3/4 at Oklahoma (83-77)
Bad Losses: 12/4 at Alabama (76-80), 2/18 Missouri (65-70), 2/29 Oklahoma State (63-66)
Coach: Bonnie Henrickson (8 seasons at Kansas)
Why They Can Surprise:
Kansas will need to play well in the early games. Their chances for survival are low but they can at least survive the first couple of rounds to stay afloat and build some momentum. Their backcourt of Monica Engleman and Angel Goodrich are good players who have the ability to step up and shift the focus from the frontcourt to the backcourt.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Although not many people will count Kansas out of the tournament by any means, they have below average field goal shooting and they have to keep the ball outside to be a threat to a team with above average rebounding, as in the case with Baylor where they only were 5-12 from three point range and 18-61 in field goals. They also tend to get in a bit of foul trouble giving up 13 against Baylor and they do not have the experienced depth to compete with quality post players.
Probable Starters:
Angel Goodrich, Junior, Guard, 13.1 ppg, 7.5 apg, 2.5 spg
CeCe Harper, Sophmore, Guard, 3.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Natalie Knight, Freshman, Guard, 5.9 ppg, 1.9 apg
Chelsea Gardner, Freshman, Forward, 3.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Aishah Sutherland, Senior, Forward, 13.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Asia Boyd, Freshman, Guard, 2.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg
Monica Engleman, Junior, Guard, 8.1 ppg, 1.9 apg
Bunny Williams, Freshman, Forward, 1.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.6 (60th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.2 (181, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.7 (9, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.5 (250, 10)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 3.3 (288, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: na
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.3 (158, 6)
Rebound Margin: 1.0 (138, 8)
Assists Per Game: 14.9 (40, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.4 (109, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Kansas 2011 NIT Round of 64 win over Wichita State
Kansas 2011 NIT Round of 32 loss to Duquesne
Kansas 2010 NIT Round of 64 win over Prairie View A&M
Kansas 2010 NIT Round of 32 win over Creighton
Kansas 2010 NIT Regional Semifinal loss Illinois State
Kansas 2009 NIT Second Round win over Creighton
Kansas 2009 NIT Third Round win over Arkansas
Kansas 2009 NIT Fourth Round win over New Mexico
Kansas 2009 NIT Semifinal win over Illinois
Kansas 2009 NIT Final loss to South Florida
Kansas 2008 NIT Second Round win over Evansville
Kansas 2008 NIT Third Round loss to Michigan State
Kansas 2006 NIT Opening Round win over Northern Iowa
Kansas 2006 NIT First Round loss to Mississippi
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
